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The Tower

The tower, below the clock, is the oldest part of the building. 900 years ago, in the 12th Century, the four stout walls were erected with an outer door at the west end, to serve as a refuge for the people in the Manor. The nave was about the width of the tower and one can see the shape and height of the roof on the east tower wall. The nave and tower would have had lancet windows such as those still on the south tower wall. Glass, being in scarce supply and only made in small pieces, was set in lead. There were no seats for the congregation. The floor level would have been four feet lower than the present nave.

The Chancel

The chancel, with a trussed rafter roof, and a south aisle were added in the 13th Century. Three interesting features in the chancel are the piscina, a sink for washing the vessels after communion, with drainage to the churchyard; the sedilia on the south wall, providing three seats for the priest and assistants and the priest's entrance, now filled in. Outside, above this entrance, there is a very ancient carved stone showing a man and woman, possibly a sign that St. Mary's, though at one time under the patronage of the Cistercian Abbey of Dore in Hereford, was always a Parish Church for all the people of Albrighton.

The tomb in the south sanctuary is said to be that of Andrew Fitz Nicholas de Willey who was killed in 1265 at the Battle of Evesham whilst fighting on the side of Simon de Montford. He was the guardian of a de Picheford, a minor who had inherited the Manor. The Talbot tomb on the north side of the sanctuary, dated 1555, shows John Talbot, his wife Frances (a Giffard from Chillington) and their four children. Note the graffiti suggesting the building was at various times unattended or neglected.

During the 1993 restoration the tombs of Francis Talbot, 11th Earl of Shrewsbury 1623-1668 and his son Charles Talbot 1660-1718, the only Duke of Shrewsbury, and his wife Adelaide, Duchess of Shrewsbury, who died in 1726, were located in the Chancel. Memorial stones to Francis on the north side, and to Charles and Adelaide on the south side, were cut into the new stone floor.

The Bells

Four Bells of Accord were installed in 1549 and the Tower raised to accommodate them. A Sanctus Bell was added in 1740 whilst the Sixth Bell, to complete the Peal, came in 1760. Two new bells were installed in 2000 to mark the beginning of the third millennium, making a fine ring of eight.

Albrighton & RAF Cosford

To mark the good relations that have existed between the two communities since RAF Cosford was built in 1938, a stained glass window was installed on the tower wall at the west end of the nave in 2000, together with a commemorative book and bookcase on the north side of the tower room arch where the names of those who have served at RAF Cosford are inscribed.

The Nave & South Aisle

In 1853 the nave and south aisle were restored in decorated gothic, the tower was opened and furnished with pews to become part of the main body of the church; a large north aisle was built and a west gallery constructed on the west wall of the nave. Donations provided funds to cover the cost with further donations for a new chancel window. A font was also donated.

Consternation arose in 1859 when the new roof collapsed. The architect was exonerated from blame and the roof replaced. If you look up to the West wall you will see yet another roof level.

The de Picheford or heraldic tomb, buried under the South Aisle, was uncovered during the 1853 restoration and removed, first to the churchyard and then in 1921 to the west end of the North Aisle. Although it is a 12th century monument, there is no evidence that it was used for a de Picheford. It may have been the first stone altar, decorated with a large number of shields bearing Norman Coats of Arms. Communion Tables of wood were introduced during the 16th century.

The Clock

John Badderley, a native of Tong, lived here in Albrighton until his death in 1804. He earned fame as a clock maker working at the Clock Mill next to the present Fire Station. In about 1790 he installed the first church clock with faces on the south and east wall of the tower. His tomb can be distinguished, on the churchyard just south east of the east window, by the cast iron surface. Clock face renewals were carried out in 1872 and 1969.

Music

An orchestra, boasting a Serpent, accompanied the choir until the early 19th century, occupying part of a gallery on the east wall of the tower. In 1839, £75 purchased a Barrel Organ which could play 33 Hymn Tunes and 3 Glorias. Pew holders in the 'Minstrels Gallery' were displaced and the dispute was recorded in the Wolverhampton Chronicle. The Rector of Donington acted as mediator. The Pews were freed in 1869 and Sunday collection substituted.

A new gallery in the south aisle, costing £200, provided for the displaced pew holders but they had to bid for their new places at auction. An American organ did not meet with the approval of a notable parishioner, Mr Loxdale, so in 1856 he gave a 2 manual pipe organ. In 1898 the organ was replaced as a memorial to the outstanding ministry of the Revd. George Windus Woodhouse, Vicar of Albrighton, 1835 – 1894, who died 'in harness' a few days before his 94th birthday.

The modern instrument, with detached console originally, situated on the south of the Chancel, was built by Nicholson's of Malvern in 1969, at a cost of £6,500. A well-loved village doctor, Mr Melville, gave £6,000 towards the cost. The present arrangement of organ console and choir stalls in the south aisle was part of the 1993 restoration.

The Albrighton Mace (housed in a wall, above the Picheford Tomb)

This symbol of civic authority was given to the Borough of Albrighton in 1664 by Lady Maria Talbot and her brother Francis Talbot, the 11th Earl of Shrewsbury, who had successfully petitioned Charles II for a charter. The proud High Burgesses followed their Sergeant, bearing the Mace, on great occasions in the life of the Village. Borough status was withdrawn  in 1839 and soon after, the Mace disappeared. In 1948 Sothebys advertised for sale "The Albrighton Mace"! Mrs Thompson of Albrighton Hall and the Revd. Eber Wright collected funds to pay £480 for its return and provide a safe place in the north wall of the south aisle of the Church. The safe place also houses the silver salver of HMS Albrighton, a hunt class destroyer commissioned in 1942.

The Twentieth-Century Re-Ordering

In 1993 St Mary's was closed for six months whilst large scale restoration and re-ordering took place. A new ‘York stone’ floor was constructed throughout and the font moved to the more traditional position near the Church entrance. The organ console and choir stalls were moved from their cramped position in the chancel to the open spaciousness of the south aisle. A wooden communion table was installed under the chancel arch and a new semi-circular communion rail introduced. The Victorian pews were removed and replaced with comfortable chairs arranged more flexibly to suit the needs of a contemporary church community. Phase 1 of this work was funded by the parishioners of Albrighton at a cost of £150,000.

Phase 2 of the re-ordering programme was begun in 2001 and included a glazed wooden screen across the tower room arch to provide a separate Sunday School, crèche and counselling room; and new inner porch glazed doors re-designed welcome area. The work continues with the provision of a toilet in the north aisle, kitchenette facilities in the existing choir vestry, a refurbished priest's vestry and an extension to the vestries to provide a meeting room and more space for the choir. This work was completed in 2004.